Sifting through countless of stocks in the Food Products industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Darling Ingredients Inc. or Ingredion Incorporated because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated

Darling Ingredients Inc. develops, produces, and sells sustainable natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients in North America, Europe, China, South America, and internationally. The Feed Ingredients segment collects and processes animal by-products into non-food grade oils and protein meals; bakery residuals into cookie meal used in poultry and swine rations; used cooking oil into non-food grade fats; and porcine and bovine blood into blood plasma powder and hemoglobin. This segment is also involved in the processing of selected portions of slaughtered animals into pet food, as well as of cattle hides and hog skins; production of organic fertilizers; rearing and processing of black soldier fly larvae into specialty proteins and fats for use in animal feed and pet food; and grease trap collection services to food service establishments. Its Food Ingredients segment engages in the purchase and processing of beef and pork bone chips, beef hides, and pig and fish skins into collagen; collection and processing of porcine and bovine intestines into natural casings; extraction and processing of porcine mucosa into crude heparin; collection and refining of animal fat into food grade fat; and processing of bones to bone chips and bone ash. The Fuel Ingredients segment is involved in the conversion of organic sludge and food waste into biogas; collection and conversion of fallen stock and certain animal by-products into low-grade energy sources; and processing of manure into natural bio-phosphate. It also provides environmental services, including disposal services; and yellow grease, fuel feedstock, and agriculture-based biofuels. The company sells its products under the Rendac, Sonac, FASA, Ecoson, Rousselot, Gelnex, and CTH brands. The company was formerly known as Darling International Inc. and changed its name to Darling Ingredients Inc. in May 2014. Darling Ingredients Inc. was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Ingredion Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of sweeteners, starches, nutrition ingredients, and biomaterial solutions derived from wet milling and processing corn, and other starch-based materials to a range of industries worldwide. The company operates in Texture & Healthful Solutions; Food & Industrial Ingredients–LATAM; and Food & Industrial Ingredients–U.S./CANADA segments. It offers starch products for use in a range of processed foods; cornstarch; specialty paper starches for enhanced drainage, fiber retention, oil and grease resistance, improved printability, and biochemical oxygen demand control; starches and specialty starches for textile industry; industrial starches are used in the production of construction materials, textiles, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, as well as in mining and water filtration; and specialty industrial starches for use in biomaterial applications, including biodegradable plastics, fabric softeners and detergents, hair and skin care applications, dusting powders for surgical gloves, and in the production of glass fiber and insulation. The company provides sweetener products comprising glucose syrups, high maltose syrup, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, polyols, maltodextrin, glucose syrup solids, and non-genetically modified organism syrups for applications in food and beverage products, such as baked goods, snack foods, canned fruits, condiments, candy and other sweets, dairy products, ice cream, jams and jellies, prepared mixes, table syrups, and beverages. In addition, the company sells refined corn oil, corn gluten feed, and corn gluten meal; and other products. The company was formerly known as Corn Products International, Inc. and changed its name to Ingredion Incorporated in June 2012. Ingredion Incorporated was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Westchester, Illinois.

Latest Food Products and Darling Ingredients Inc., Ingredion Incorporated Stock News

As of September 1, 2026, Darling Ingredients Inc. had a $10.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Food Products median of $1.7 million. Darling Ingredients Inc.’s stock is up 87.8% in 2026, up 8.2% in the previous five trading days and up 99.35% in the past year.

Currently, Darling Ingredients Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 18.3. Darling Ingredients Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $6.5 billion with a 9.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 16.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.420 per share for the current fiscal year. Darling Ingredients Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of September 1, 2026, Ingredion Incorporated had a $6.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 71st percentile of all stocks. Ingredion Incorporated’s stock is down 6.9% in 2026, down 2% in the previous five trading days and down 19.54% in the past year.

Currently, Ingredion Incorporated’s price-earnings ratio is 11.3. Ingredion Incorporated’s trailing 12-month revenue is $7.2 billion with a 8.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 0.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $10.567 per share for the current fiscal year. Ingredion Incorporated currently has a 3.1% dividend yield.

How We Compare Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Darling Ingredients Inc.	DAR	A
Ingredion Incorporated	INGR	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Darling Ingredients Inc. has a Growth Score of 82, which is Very Strong. Ingredion Incorporated has a Growth Score of 56, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: Darling Ingredients Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Darling Ingredients Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than Ingredion Incorporated. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Darling Ingredients Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Darling Ingredients Inc.	DAR	A
Ingredion Incorporated	INGR	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Darling Ingredients Inc. has a Quality Score of 84, which is Very Strong. Ingredion Incorporated has a Quality Score of 84, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Darling Ingredients Inc.	DAR	A
Ingredion Incorporated	INGR	D

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Darling Ingredients Inc. has a Momentum Score of 87, which is Very Strong. Ingredion Incorporated has a Momentum Score of 30, which is Weak.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Darling Ingredients Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Darling Ingredients Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Ingredion Incorporated. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Darling Ingredients Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated Grades

In addition to Momentum, Growth and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Darling Ingredients Inc. or Ingredion Incorporated Stock?

Overall, Darling Ingredients Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 82, Momentum Score of 87 and Quality Score of 84.

Ingredion Incorporated stock has a Growth Score of 56, Momentum Score of 30 and Quality Score of 84.

Comparing Darling Ingredients Inc. and Ingredion Incorporated’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.